Mikheil Saakashvili, in his capacity as president of
Georgia, has never visited Kaspi after the Rose Revolution. However, as
a presidential candidate Saakashvili has visited the industrial town.
Local authorities arranged a meeting with school children and employees
of the local administration. Khatuna Tatanashvili, a member of the
“Republican Party” from Kaspi, said that the officials from their
district got dressed in riot policemen’s uniforms and started to
disperse people with truncheons on November 7.

On December 10th at 4:00PM, the Human Rights Center opened a photo exhibition in honor of the International Day of Human Rights. “We wish to never show photos like these in the future,” and with these words, the exhibition opened. The theme of the event was human rights, but because of the recent situation in Georgia, it focused on the reportage of the events of November 7th.

Representatives of the bureau of MP Nikoloz Kvezereli, were exiled from their working room in the administrative building of the local government; the room was assigned to them according to the law. The reason was his support for the parliamentary fraction “Our Georgia” with the leaders of presidential candidate Badri Patarkatsishvili. The MP from Gurjaani is the member of the fraction. The head of the MP’s bureau said that the local government was particularly annoyed by the fact that civil society actively cooperates with them.

Surnames of dead people might appear on the list of Mikheil Saakashvili’s supporters.

Members of the presidential candidate Levan Gachechiladze’s election staff remained without office in Abasha. It is already third occasion when they were obliged to leave office after having signed the lease contract and paid the rent. The owners of the offices cannot tell exact reasons for refusal. Kakha Mikaia, member of the political council of the political movement ‘Tavisufleba” stated that it is a next provocation of the government. According to his statement the principal authors of the incidents are Badri Chachava, Abasha Municipality Governor and Davit Darsmelidze, the head of the Police Department.

Local governmental bodies involved students from Gori in
the election campaign of the presidential candidate from the leading
party. Besides students the complete personnel of administration takes
part in the campaign. Members of the National Movement think that
Mikheil Saakashvili will win more votes in Gori district than in other
districts throughout Georgia.

Akhalkalaki dwellers cannot understand why they should pay for more electricity than they have used. Some of them face problems because of old meters; others pay padded bills because of some faults on computer program which estimates fees on electricity.

“Central heating was installed in our school but it does not function properly yet. We, pupils have our fingers frozen and cannot hold pens properly. Don’t we have right to study in normal conditions? They say we should collect money to turn on the central heating,”-said Mariam Iremadze, a student of the 7th grade when she appealed to the Human Rights Center’s Kutaisi office.

Since November 7th, tax inspectors have begun to raid businesses owned by relatives of opposition party members in Batumi. These private businesses have now been sealed. Although the decree allowing this mentions the, “immediate raid for tax inspection,” the inspections began fifteen days after the decree was enacted.

Lia Sichinava, a teacher at Senaki Public School #3, is taking action to protect her rights after the school administration fired her. Her conflict stems from a disagreement with Meri Tsirgvava, the director of the school, and three teachers of Georgian Literature who attempted to appropriate her work schedule. Sichinava had been teaching Georgian Literature courses for 7th, 8th and 9th grade students for the past two years in lieu of the regular teacher who was ill with cancer. She considers the Supervisory Council and school director’s decision to dismiss her illegal and is trying to protect her rights.

Kutaisi has been without trolleybuses for ten months. One hundred employees of the enterprise, with a history spanning a half-century, have been unemployed for ten months and can only hope for positive changes to their situation. The problems faced by trolleybus drivers stems from the 1.5 million lari debt the Kutaisi trolleybus department owes to the state. Several drivers of the Kutaisi trolleybus operation have sought out the Human Rights Center’s Kutaisi Office for help.